Top 3 books: Nonfiction hardcover

'Of Thee I Zing' by Laura Ingraham (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO )

August 27, 2011

Of Thee I Zing

By Laura Ingraham (Threshold Editions, $25)

We've all experienced it — the rap ringtone going off in church, the carry-ons people try to cram into the overhead bins, the breaking news that endlessly loops hour after hour. Ingraham has seen it, too, and she asks, "Is this what our founders fought for?" But remember: these crass and uncultured annoyances are caused by us. We have become our own worst enemy. And Ingraham is ready to lead a national intervention … which can't happen soon enough!

Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture

Eddited by Stephen H. Segal (Quirk Books, $14.95)

Each page of this little gem of a book begins with a quote from a movie or book or other medium of our modern culture. An essay follows, gently bringing meaning from a philosophical view that can really affect us. Not only geeks and nerds will find this collection profound; it would make a great gift for any thinking person, including you. "Transform and roll out!"

Nothing Daunted

By Dorothy Wickenden (Scribner, $26)

Set off on a rough and wonderful adventure with Dorothy and Rosamond, two Smith grads who in 1916 left their boring high-society lives and traveled to the wilds of Colorado to teach in a ramshackle schoolhouse. Based on letters of the author's own grandmother, interviews and newspaper articles, this is a fascinating tale of two remarkable gals and life in the undeveloped West.